The Twilight War
by The King of Emerald
Summary: Sequel to Return of the Dragon. Solor makes his way back, but his return is not welcomed by warm grins and fun adventures. He brings war... and his only hope of winning comes with the Titans.
1. Prologue

**Alright, everyone; I know that Solor is my most popular character, so I'm gonna try to keep up on this one... better than I did for Return of the Dragon. Which means, hopefully, you guys get your chapters on time. No guarantees, though; Writer's Block is a fickle beast and can strike whenever it wants.**

 **With that said, the usual disclaimers are in order.**

 **I do not own the Teen Titans (or else the atrocity known as "Teen Titans Go!" would not exist) or any characters from the DC Universe. I do, however, own the Dragons of Lair, the Grand Circle, and Starborn "Solor" of the Light.**

XxXxXxX

Nights at this bar weren't ever really exciting. This location was in the bad parts of Gotham (though any outsider would say any part of Gotham was a bad part), where criminals run a bit more rampant. It was also usually under heavy surveillance from Batman or his clan, so usually nothing too bad ever happened down here.

Unfortunately, that wasn't going to be the case.

One man, in particular, was going to have a particularly bad night. His friends called him Brock, and he spent a long time in Gotham, doing odd jobs for whoever had the most money. He was throwing back a couple drinks, nothing too much. He was talking with his friends, having a good time, unaware of the danger he was in.

And then the door opened.

A tall man, with a thick frame, walked in with ease. His presence was dominating; the entire bar went silent as soon as he stepped in. However, the large man ignored everyone else, walking straight to the bar and sitting only a few stools away from Brock.

"A bottle of Jack, please", the giant said, politely. The tender, not used to someone being so nice, only nodded dumbly, going to fetch the gentleman his drink. The big man then turned his head slowly, looking over at Brock. Something about him set the thug off; his heart was beating faster, and his palms got sweaty really quick. Those blue eyes seemed to pierce his soul, and that permanent frown made him feel like he was being judged.

Then the sapphires became emeralds.

Brock's face went pale, staring at the stranger who averted his gaze. Did he know about Brock's dirty little secret? The thug started to stand, questioning whether he should run.

"I shall give you ten seconds… _niivahrin dovah_ ", came the man's deep voice, and Brock immediately shot up, moving quickly out into the street. The bartender came back in that moment, handing the bottle to the large man, who merely reached into his pocket, pulled out a wad of cash, and handed it over. "Keep the change", he said to the keeper, and stood up, moving quickly with his bottle in tow. He stepped into the street, seeing Brock moving towards an alley as quickly as he could. The giant smirked, following at a rapid pace before cornering the thug in the alley.

"Stay back, Scum of the Circle!" Brock yelled out. "You can't expose yourself here! There's mortals all about!"

The giant smirked again, before holding up the bottle. "I was merely hoping to have a drink with you, Dark. And hopefully make it easier to loosen your lips about what I want to know."

Brock snarled. "I'd rather die! I will tell you nothing!"

"That's fine by me", the stranger stated with a shrug. He suddenly chucked the bottle at Brock, before spitting out a ball of fire. The two hit the thug at the same time, lighting him aflame as the dragon in disguise screamed in pain.

The stranger stepped forward, glaring. "Deploy your scales. I need information, and you will tell me or die."

Brock fell to his knees, even as the flames consumed his body. "Never! I say nothing!"

"TELL ME ABOUT THE TWILIGHT!" the man suddenly roared, rushing forward and pulling the thug to his feet. His appearance changed, his eyes turning green and his bronze scales protecting him as he snarled at Brock. "TELL ME OF THESE PETS OF GRAND DARKNESS!"

Brock, however, started laughing, despite his pain. "Lament your loss, Starborn! Vulom evenaar kun!"

Solor, now exposed, snarled, before throwing Brock hard to the ground, smashing his face into the concrete. The dragon in disguise was immediately silenced, either killed or knocked out, and his body burned in the night. Solor shifted the trench-coat, covering up his face. He immediately muttered some words under his breath, and an all too familiar tear in reality appeared, swallowing him into the void. When the giant could see once more, he was in a familiar looking cave, the bright light of the sun shining into the entrance.

"I assume the mission was a failure?" came a familiar voice, and Solor turned to see his father staring down at him.

"Indeed, Father", the bronze dragon said, shifting into his true form as he looked at his father's blue eyes. "These Traitors are tight lipped; even under threat of death, I still know nothing more about their creations. I know not how they are made, nor how they have appeared from seemingly nowhere... though I know it has something to do with what that dragoness, Vilea, did to me."

"No doubt", the Grand Light stated, sighing. "Very well... I was hoping to delay this, hoping that a capture or some new information would be available... but Grand Death has called for a meeting. He says he has come up with a plan on how to learn more of the Twilight."

Solor's muzzle twisted into a snarl, and his father immediately picked up on that, allowing his son to continue. "I do not like this, Father. Grand Death is approaching the end of his term... unless he has already passed it. He has not told anyone of his progress with his Heir in some time."

"And you are certain that your words are truly concern... or are they memories of the days before your mother died?" When Solor's eyes lowered, the Grand Light sighed, in a moment of acting like his true self. "Do not think I have not noticed how you glare at him... and all of us, in turn. You are angered at us taking you from your team, and you still resent what happened the day Grand Death announced my mate's impending demise. We have done what we can to help you, and have even had some of our infiltrators teach you how to use those mobile devices so you could keep up with your team's progress through the internet. Not much has happened since their trip to France, or so you say."

"I am concerned", Solor told his father. "They were fighting for so long, and now, it's almost as if all the villains we fought together have merely vanished into thin air. I want to know what happened, but they've been a little tight-lipped to the media. It has been over a year since I left, Father. It would be nice to visit them, at the very least. They know of our kind, and they hold no ill-will towards me."

"I am glad you made friends in the mortal world, son. I am concerned about them knowing of our existence, but they have been trustworthy, and they have not told anyone of us, and for that I am grateful", the Grand Light said, thinking carefully. "I will tell you this; once we have more information about the Twilight... I will give you a short vacation, where you may go where you wish for one month."

Solor understood the importance of his mission, and bowed his head to his father. "I am humbled by your generous gift, Father", he said calmly. "Thank you."

"The Circle is not without mercy, my Heir", Grand Light responded. "Now... to the Center. Grand Death does not like to wait, even for us members of the Circle."

The two dragons spread their wings, launching out of the cave. Two streaks of bronze soared across the sky, heading to the large volcano to the south. They saw a variety of other dragons in the sky, including two red, two blue, two green, and two grey all flying towards the same location. One rather tall brown dragon, the Grand Earth's Heir, was walking to the mountain that easily stood many meters taller than her, since Earth dragons could not fly. Solor couldn't help but think of the creature known as Godzilla from the mortals' movies of the same name as he looked at the Earth Heir now.

Once everyone had gathered and the Heirs had taken their places on their respective perch, Grand Death looked at his companions, one by one, including taking a long look at the eye of Grand Earth. "This meeting of the Circle and their Heirs shall commence", he said, his voice raspier than Solor remembered. "I am certain you are curious as to why I called you rather suddenly."

"We are, my mate", Grand Life said. "You have been rather tight-lipped about this war lately. Have you come across some information?"

"Grave news, indeed", the Death dragon said, shaking his old head. "One of my children has been able to discover a plan by the Traitors. They intend to raid a mortal city in one week's time."

Solor remembered hearing of these. The Traitors, back in the older days, intended to destroy mortal civilizations, merely for the fun of it or to test their power and boundaries, but the dragons of Lair would always counter them and push them back. The fact that they were planning one now, after a few hundred years of not even coming close to one, suddenly had him worried.

"An what will our plan of action be?" Grand Fire asked. "Shall we set up the defense immediately?"

"If they are making a play in the water, we can easily take them by surprise", Grand Water offered. "They will not be able to counter us."

"No, that will not be necessary", Grand Death waved off, shaking his head again. "I've heard that there will be several high-ranking officers in the enemy's attack. This will be our opportunity to take one alive, and find the location of the Dark Lair."

Solor's face fell. The way Grand Death worded that gave him chills. Was the older dragon really suggesting the impossible?

"And who would interrogate this officer?" Grand Light growled. "I have retired as Inquisitor, and I have not trained anyone to take my place."

"Your Heir has learned much from you over his life as such", Grand Earth rumbled. "He will be able to rip the answers from his scales, if he is like you."

"And what of the mortals?" Grand Life finally asked. "What shall we do to protect them?"

There was a pause of silence. Then, Grand Death spoke what Solor was afraid of.

"Their deaths will not be in vain, my mate."

XxXxXxX

"He can NOT be serious!"

Solor was pissed. He paced back and forth, his face in a scowl as smoke poured out of his nostrils. The other Heirs watched him as he growled, seeing as they all met in the desert to the southwest of the volcano, Earth's domain.

"What are we to do?" Death's Heir, Norokliiv, said. "My father convinced the entire Circle to go with this plan of his. I'm surprised that they're letting him call the shots."

"I'm more surprised my mother agreed", Life's Heir, Maldriin, stated. "She holds all of the First's children in such a high regard. To hear that she agrees to 'weed out' some of the mortals is... unheard of."

"Which is why we must stop it", Solor stated. "We cannot allow the Circle to go through with this! This is NOT balance!"

"And what are we to do?" the Earth's Heir, Yolget, asked. "Filkiin, the Circle voted unanimously to go through with the plan. We are but Heirs. We hold no power over them."

"Something, ANYTHING! We are talking millions of lives being taken away in an instant!" Solor argued. "Yolget, you never back down from a fight! Are you telling me you will accept this sitting down?"

"Were it anyone else, of course not", Yolget snorted, glaring down at the shorter dragon. "But when the Circle makes a decision, we are not to intervene!"

The two other Heirs, Rathlovaas of Water and Kendovyolos of Fire, remained silent. There was no point of arguing with Solor, but they could not go against the Circle. Solor looked at all of the other Heirs, and sighed.

"Very well", he said. "Then you do not have to do anything but buy me some time."

That got their attention. "What are you planning, Filkiin?" Maldriin asked. "Are you to warn them? They will not believe you."

"Not them", Solor denied. "But I know of those who can defend that city. I will go to them, and plead my case. If they are truly as just as I thought they were... then they will grant us aid."

Norokliiv bowed his head. "We will aid you however we can, Heir of Light. My father is pushing too far past his term; we must stop his plan and show the Circle that he is too far gone."

Solor gave a small, sad smile. "I apologize, Death's Heir. I know what it will mean if the Circle finds your father unfit for duty."

"It is alright", Norok stated. "It is for the good of not only the Circle, but all of the First's creations." He muttered a few words, and once more, a rip in reality appeared. "Go now, Filkiin of the Light. May we meet again in victory."

Solor bowed his head to all of the Heirs, as was tradition when he left for a mission. He then stepped through the Tear, reentering the realm of mortals, with only one thought in mind.

 _I must reach Titan's Tower!_


	2. Somber Reunion

The Titans had seen plenty of action since the disappearance of their draconic teammate. Even without Solor to back them up, they still fought some rather serious monsters and villains, including the climactic showdown with the Brotherhood of Evil. And now, everything had slowed down since their victory against said Brotherhood.

And it gave them time to think about their past.

Robin didn't take Solor leaving well. He was definitely upset, and even attempted to start a search to find him, but Raven was the one who told him it would be impossible. He was probably in Lair, in his separate dimension, and they would most likely not be able to follow. He did regret all the times that he had mistrusted the dragon, and was happy that they were all finally starting to get along.

Starfire wasn't better off; Solor was one of her best friends, and understood her (for the most part). They were both strangers in a new world they never saw before, and they both sorted through their confusions and problems together. Once Raven stated that Solor wasn't returning, it took a fairly long time before she was able to fly properly again, but thanks to Robin's support, she did eventually start to soar with ease once more.

Terra had a rough time at first. Although her training was complete, the loss put strain on her control, and that, in turn, strained her relationship with Beast Boy. But the emerald changeling, bless his heart, was patient and supported her, even during the times when she just wanted to be left alone to mope. That isn't to say he was unaffected by Solor's disappearance; the tower was eerily quiet for the first few weeks.

Cyborg, in the meantime, threw himself into his work. Small, mundane projects became, for a while, all he could or would focus on when he wasn't fighting crime. Eventually, his anger of not knowing why Solor left reached a boiling point, and every project, including his treasured car, got a serious beating. They, of course, were all repaired now, and Cyborg was able to slip back into the old routine.

That left Raven, who took it the hardest.

Raven was the last one to see him, after all. She saw how torn he was at leaving, especially since they were in the middle of a date. It broke her heart seeing him so badly wishing he could stay, but knowing that he had to leave. She still remembered his morose expression as he handed his communicator back to her, asking her to forgive him before he vanished out of their reality.

And the worst part, to her... is that she didn't know if he would never return.

She asked him if he would, and his answer was uncertain. He could possibly... or he could not. Whatever was happening in his world was something he had never experienced; she could feel the dread rolling off of him as he spoke to the two that came to take him away. Something was going wrong, and because of it, he could not give a certain answer.

It was very possible he would never see them again... and it was also just as possible he could return any day.

Sometimes, she wished that he had said no. Then, maybe, her heart wouldn't ache so much, and she could stop thinking about what could have been. She could focus on, instead, what she wanted to do.

But Affection wouldn't let go.

It took months to coax her out of her room. The only time the team saw her was when there was a mission, and she certainly worked hard during the events with the Brotherhood. But otherwise, she was spiteful, and her words stung more than she intended. Eventually, she started reading in the living room again, and her insults held less bite in them.

It seemed like everything was finally going back to the way it was.

That night, the team had gathered to watch a movie - one of the Pirates of the Caribbean movies - and were generally enjoying it. Raven found the idea of cursed treasure fairly interesting. There were many such cursed objects in the world, and wondered if this treasure chest did exist. She would have liked to study the magic around it.

However, the thoughts of curses vanished once the screen suddenly changed. The word "ALERT" in bold red letters flashed onto the screen, and the tell-tale sound of the emergency siren filled the tower.

Robin immediately stood up, ready for action. "Cyborg, what's going on?" he asked immediately.

The half-robot teen looked to his arm, trying to figure out why the alarm was going off. "Um... dude, the alarm was set off... here. In the living room."

That was when the alarm suddenly cut short, just as quickly as it started. There was the sound of something leathery moving through the air, and a few thudded steps. "I beg forgiveness", came a familiar rumble, "but I needed to get your attention."

The team turned, and one by one, the group laid eyes upon Solor. He was in his hybrid form, the one they were familiar with, and despite it having been a year, he did not look like he had changed at all. He still wore his muscle-shirt and shorts, and his claws looked as sharp as ever. His emerald eyes were filled with a grave emotion, and despite Starfire's urge to jump up and hug him, even she felt that it would not be appropriate.

"Solor...?" Robin asked softly. "Is it... really you?"

"It is, Robin", the bronze-dragon said. "I have returned... but not as a Titan. I come to you because I request your aid."

Cyborg stood up next, frowning. The Solor he knew never asked for help. "How do we know you're the real deal?"

"I blue-screened the computer here on my first attempt to use it", the dragon stated with a huff.

"... yeah, that's him."

"I would love to sit and chat about precious memories, but I am in no mood right now. I need your aid, and if you will not help me, then you can kiss millions of mortal lives goodbye", Solor stated in a deadly serious tone. "I need to communicate with the Justice League, Doom Patrol... any group of heroes that you can come into contact with." Before anyone else could move to question him, he slammed his tail against the ground, causing a loud thud to resound through the tower. "NOW, if you please."

Seeing that Solor was genuinely in a hurry, Terra ran over to the main computer. "We can reach the Justice League right now… but didn't they almost imprison you for killing Slade, like, two years ago?"

"Believe me, if it were not necessary, I would avoid this", Solor stated somberly. His impatience died as he looked at his team with a desperate look. "Please… call them."

Terra slowly nodded, and started the call. "Titan's Tower to Watchtower. This is Terra. Please respond."

After a short moment of static, a picture of Batman appeared on the screen. Robin mentally cursed; if there was anyone Solor could have spoken to, the Dark Knight was probably the worst person to pick up the call. Immediately, the caped crusader glanced to Solor, his eyes narrowing under his cowl. "Watchtower here. What's happening?"

Solor stepped forward, averting his eyes like he had years ago. "Batman… I was hoping to speak to you, personally", the dragon stated, getting a surprised expression from everyone in the room. "I wish to share information with you… grave news from my people… and a plea for help."

"What's this grave news?" Batman stated. "Does it have anything to do with the body of Brock Daniels that was found earlier today?"

Solor winced, but did not deny the Dark Knight's implications. "Yes. Brock Daniels was an enemy to my people, and I did confront him. I did not intend to end his life then and there, but he chose to die rather than share the information I sought. But please understand… he was not human."

That shocked everyone in the room, and even Batman raised an eyebrow, the smallest show of emotion he was allowing. "Dude… does that mean…?" Beast Boy started, not wanting to spill Solor's secret himself.

"Yes. Brock Daniels was a Dark Dragon."

At that, Solor looked up to Batman, and knowing the man would not budge without a show of faith, folded his hands together. "If you wish for me to return to the Watchtower in cuffs once more, then I shall. I know our last meeting was under terrible circumstances, and my actions with the Dark Traitor have no doubt given you more reason to distrust me. But I beg you… please listen to what I have to say. I will share every bit of information I can; from the enemy that we will face, to the truth about my people… my species."

Batman stared at the bronze teen, before he nodded. "Superman, Wonder Woman, and myself will be at the Titan's Tower in half an hour. We'll see how big of a threat this is." The screen went black, as the com-line was deactivated. Solor nodded, before walking back to the center of the room, picking up the large coffee table with ease.

"Wait… everything? When you say every bit of information…" Cyborg asked, raising his human brow.

"I mean everything", Solor stated, carrying the table to the side of the room.. "About myself, my species, our history, how old I am… everything."

"Well, can we at least hear about what this big threat is?" Robin asked. "I'd like to know what we're up against."

"You shall know when the League arrives", Solor responded. "I am not going to tell the same tale twice." He then moved to the couch, starting to remove it so that there would be more room. "Please leave me to prepare. I do not wish to be disturbed."

The Titans all looked to Solor angrily. Terra decided to let the elephant in the room be known, shouting, "You left us for a year, and then you expect us to-"

"Shut up", came the one voice that hadn't spoken since the dragon had appeared. Raven stood next to Solor, giving the team an angry glare. "If Solor says it's important enough to keep quiet, then it's definitely worth the wait. Leave. Him. Alone."

Beast Boy wanted to yell at Solor as well, but if Raven was on his side, then he knew better. "Let's wait this out, guys. Solor is tight lipped, and with Raven at his back, we don't stand a chance." The rest of the team slowly left, but Raven strayed a bit, looking towards the dragon.

Solor glanced over at the empath, then averted his gaze again. The last time they had seen each other was over a year ago, and a very sad parting indeed. Not even able to finish their date before Solor's people came and snatched him away. And after both had finally faced their own hearts and took a leap that neither of them were really ready for; Solor confessed his own feelings, and Raven was willing, with her father out of the picture, to explore her own.

So, their first date ended in complete disaster. Now they were alone… and neither knew what to say.

"So… how was your year?" Raven asked weakly, immediately cursing herself mentally for the lame question.

"It was… busy", Solor responded weakly. He scratched the back of his head lightly, avoiding eye contact. "I do… wish to speak to you, personally, but later… when this threat has been addressed." He gave her a sad look… was it pity? Or was it remorse? She couldn't tell. Had he decided, in the past year, that he didn't care for her anymore?

"Right… business first", she stated. If he was willing to spill his secret, to the Justice League of all people, it must be important, whatever it was. She turned to leave, the sound of the door opening reaching the dragon's ears.

"And… Ruuvak", he said, the Dragon Tongue sounding oddly pleasant in her ears despite his gruff tone, and she could have sworn that if she had been looking at him, she'd see that small, friendly smile. "… I am glad you and the team are okay."

The empath in blue paused for a moment, before leaving him to prepare, her cheeks turning a light shade of pink underneath her hood.

 _Damn dragon…_

XxXxXxX

When the League members arrived, Solor was the first to greet them. He bowed his head politely, thanking them for coming on such short notice. Granted, two of them had voted for his incarceration after the murder of Deathstroke, so the situation was already tense. He lead them into the living room, asking them to have a seat at the counter nearby, since he had moved the couch to grant him more room.

"So, what is this threat that you say we're facing?" Superman asked.

"Before I tell you… I need you to know that I trust you", Solor said. "Granted, it is trust bourn of desperation, but still. So I will show you what I am, so you may understand." And just like that, Wonder Woman and Superman immediately got ready to fight when the bronze teenager was replaced with a bronze lizard with wings, approximately as long as the room was wide and tall enough to graze his horns against the ceiling. The Titans, who had been watching, immediately moved to his side, facing the two super-powered members of the League in a defensive stance.

Batman, unsurprisingly, didn't even budge from his seat. "So I was right… you really are a dragon."

" **I knew you had probably figured it out** ", Solor stated in his deep voice. " **Even though J'onn promised to keep it a secret, I knew there was little I could hide from you if I had to tell him. You would have looked into my background thoroughly… the background that did not exist.** "

"You knew?" Superman asked the Dark Knight. "Well… this would explain why J'onn vouched for your release…"

" **Indeed** ", Solor confirmed, before shifting back into his hybrid form. "However, that is only the tip of the iceberg for why I asked you here. An enemy of my people has surfaced, and I need your aid in defending a city from his destructive army."

"And what would this force be?" Wonder Woman asked, having been silent for most of the trip. "If you are dragons, what could possibly be a threat against you?"

"Other dragons", Solor stated simply. "The Dark Clan, to be precise. Their leader betrayed my people many years ago, and was banished after his failed attempt to overthrow our leaders and take their place. The remaining clans that live in our land are that of Fire, Earth, Water, Life, Death, and my own clan, Light." He gestured with his hands, hoping to convey the proper meaning of his words. "Those of us in Lair, our homeland, are tasked with maintaining balance. We do not seek, nor do we care for, power and control over the mortal world, or human world, if you prefer. The Dark clan, however, is very keen on taking the world for themselves."

"And that leads to the threat that you called us for today", Superman concluded. "I have a lot of questions about dragons, but if you can't answer them right now, we can save them for later. I'm assuming this Dark clan is planning on attacking a human city?"

"Indeed they are. They used to raid human villages and cities in the older days, testing how strong our faith to the First's plan - or what our god has planned for us - in our dedication to keeping balance. However…" This is where Solor's frown turned very serious, and his claws curled and tightened. "… this time, our leaders are letting them go through with the raid."

That got concerned expressions from all three League members. "Why?" asked Wonder Woman, standing up angrily. "Why would they let these dragons go through with their raid? Why would they allow everyone in a city to die?"

"From what our intel says", Solor stated, "a few high ranking members of the Dark Clan are going to be there, to oversee the city's destruction. The Circle's plan is to let them attack, let them destroy under the cover of darkness so that they feel we no longer care. Then, once they've destroyed most of it, our agents will strike, and attempt to capture one of these high ranking officers, for... merciless interrogation, so that we may find out where their base of operations is." Solor glared at his claws. "But even I am shocked that Grand Life agreed to this. She cares about mortals almost as much as she does her own children. To allow ten million lives to be snuffed away..."

That got Batman's attention. "Ten million? You don't mean to say..."

Solor looked up at the Dark Knight with a curt nod. "Indeed. The reason why I wished to see you, personally, was because the city that is being targeted... the city we are allowing to be destroyed... is your precious Gotham."

Batman didn't need any more convincing. If the Bronze dragon was willing to find him as quickly as he could and share this information, then there was no time to lose. "How soon until the attack?"

"The raid is supposed to occur at two A.M. next week", Solor told Batman. "In order to repel them, I will need your strongest heroes. Whether it be with pure strength alone, magic, technology, I care not. I will personally test them and see if they can move a dragon, if they can push me back... and if they can, they have the right to join the defense force." He looked to Starfire. "I already know of one who can combat our strength with her own. I would request that Starfire be on this brigade, if she chooses... and I ask you both as well, Superman, Wonder Woman."

Starfire, looked to the two members of the league, and when Superman reluctantly nodded, she stood up. "I will fight alongside you, friend Solor. I will not allow so many innocent lives to be lost."

"We shall, as well", Wonder Woman added. "I'm certain Batman would be willing to protect his city, and perhaps the two of you can work on a plan of defense. Superman and I will collect as many of our strongest as we can."

"I appreciate this", Solor said, bowing his head. "I promise, I will repay your kindness as best as we can."

"When Gotham is safe, we'll just call it even", Batman told him. "We'll head back to the Watchtower. I expect you to be ready to start planning in the morning."

"Of course", Solor said, bowing his head. He then turned to Robin. "I hope you are okay with me working with Batman. I know I am kind of taking control..."

"This is important", Robin responded, "and you have the most information about this attack. If you need to lead, we'll follow you."

Without much else to talk about, the League members soon took their leave. Superman stepped forward first. "What kind of risk are you taking to share this information with us?"

"I will more likely than not be banished for the rest of my life", Solor told the Kryptonian. "Know that I do not share this information with you on a whim; I have no choice but to ask you for aid because my people are going to make a terrible mistake."

Superman gave a low sigh. "Very well... We'll make sure that this plan works out." With that, the three League members left, although their view of the bronze Titan was definitely different than it had been before.

Solor turned to his team, who were all looking at him, expectantly. "Yes... everything I said is true. Especially that I can be banished for the rest of my life. And... I would like to ask, if that were to pass-"

His words were lost as, all of a sudden, the team was upon him (minus Raven, who wasn't much for group hugs), wrapping their arms around the dragon. The sudden amount of mass hitting him threw the dragon off guard, and everyone fell to the ground.

"Where have you been?!" Terra finally asked, exasperated.

"What have you been doing?!" Beast Boy demanded.

"Why didn't you take your communicator with you?!" Cyborg roared.

"How come you did not send us the postcards?!" Starfire shouted.

"You have a lot of questions to answer, Solor!" Robin ordered. "And your first mission as a Titan again is to tell us everything we've missed in the past year!"

Solor looked at them all, utterly confused and flustered. "W-wait, what?" He tried to answer them all, but his mouth wouldn't work, and all that came out was a jumbled mess of words. Finally, after stammering for a moment, he turned to Raven, the only one that didn't tackle him. "Raven, can I get some assistance?"

"Only if you promise to talk about what we've missed when we all sit down", the empath told him. She turned to the team. "If we can stop the group hug and sit down like rational people, that is…"

The team all gave her a knowing look, and especially Terra and Beast Boy smirked. "Fine, fine", the changeling said, before getting up. "But it's only 'cause we know you've missed him the most."

Raven flushed under her hood, but she still glared at Beast Boy. "Choose your next words carefully, Garfield, or you and your girlfriend will be thrown at the window."

Solor could feel the weight on his person being lifted, and soon looked up to see the team standing above him, waiting for them. Robin offered his hand down to the dragon, and the bronze figure soon smiled, reaching up with his own hand and taking the offer.

"Very well… let's have a seat."


	3. The New Threat

The dragon glanced at his team. He sat in a chair opposite of them, watching as they looked to him. Not one face was looking at him in anger, but in... impatience, he decided to call it.

"I know this story will take a while", Solor told them all. "I hope that you are all comfortable... and I hope your opinion of me will not be changed."

"We understand, Solor", Robin said. "Whenever you're ready... would you allow Cyborg to record this, for future reference?"

Solor nodded slowly. "As I have been gone for so long, I owe you at least that much." Once the metallic Teen nodded, indicating that he was recording, the dragon began.

"As you know... one year ago, I was called back to Lair suddenly, interrupting my... evening with Raven", he said, choosing his words carefully. If she decided she didn't want to date him, then there was no point in bringing up the past, which Raven noticed right away. "They told me that I had gained favor with my father and the leaders of the Circle. They requested I return home as quickly as I could. At first, I refused... until they told me in my language that there was a new threat."

"A new threat?" Cyborg said. "You mean those Dark dragons, right?"

"I wish it was as simple as that", Solor admitted, lowering his gaze. "They told me it was a threat that we had never faced before... an abomination."

"Ugh, more big words", Beast Boy groaned softly, while Terra gently held his shoulder, giving him a look that told him to shut up.

"They would not tell me of what this threat was until I swore fealty to the Circle once more... vowed that I would obey their commands without question ever again", Solor said. "And then... they told me everything."

XxXxXxX

"Tell me, Filkiin", said an Earth dragon, the general of the Circle's army. "What is this scale?" The General was around the same age as Solor, but still towered over the Light dragon Should a mortal look at him, many would think "Godzilla", considering the resemblance was eerily similar. Much like the kaiju, the Earth dragon had no wings, but more than made up for it with his hulking frame. The General lowered his claw, revealing a large, violet scale in his hand that would make modern day lizards look like ants.

Solor frowned as he stared at the shape of the scale. "It most certainly resembles a Dark scale... but not of the underbelly, like many would believe based off of the color. This would be located... right at the base of a wing."

"Exactly", the General, Golmul, told him. "This is a scale located at the base of the wing of an enemy dragon. However, unlike our timeless enemy... this did not come from a Dark clansman."

That made Solor's eyes widen. "Not a...? How is that possible?"

"That is all we know", Golmul told Solor. "Heir of Light, your father told me to disclose this with you as soon as I could... for he believes that you might know more about this dragon's creator. Does the name Vilea ring any bells?"

The mere mention of the Dark dragoness had Solor's eyes glowing a bright green, and a snarl tore its way from his throat. "That thieving, cowardly wretch! What in Oblivion has she done?!"

"She has broken a cardinal law for us in Lair", Golmul told him. "She has used a Light dragon's DNA, and somehow figured out how to create a new Clan, a creature she calls the 'Twilight'. I suppose you may know how this came to be?"

"I am rather close to the subject, Golmul", Solor stated in a huff, though he did attempt to calm himself own, which the General raised a brow at. "I choose not to go into detail until a later time."

"Understood", Golmul said. He may have been a high ranking officer in the Circle's army, but the Heirs answered only to the Grands themselves. Only a commander could push them to talk, and one was not present. "Well, these pets of Vilea have been sent into battle against us... with devastating results. Many of our soldiers have been killed by these monsters."

"Due to a combination of Dark cunning and Light determination, the will to fight and the knowledge to take cheap shots", the Light heir mused. "A perfect balance between the two clans... do we know where these dragons are being created?"

"There are multiple locations, according to the prisoners that we have been able to capture and interrogate", Golmul told Solor. "Only one of them, so far, has been confirmed as a new location. We've been working on calling back as many of our soldiers as possible."

"We don't need that many", Solor decided, surprising the general. "I'm going to need at least two Life dragons and five Earth dragons. I'll worry about asking for members of my clan."

"You already have a plan?" Golmul asked, surprised. "You don't even know where this location is yet!"

"I know enough about Dark dragons that if we don't attack soon, they'll have enough defenses to repel any kind of attack. We need to strike while the iron is hot", Solor told the general. "Search for any volunteers of other clans that wish to join us. I will lead the attack."

"You will, sir?" Golmul asked. "With all due respect, you are the Heir to Light. Why are you bothering with the work of a mere soldier?"

"Because I am not above you", Solor told Golmul. "I work as a part of a team, and every member is just as important as the next. Collect our volunteers, Golmul", Solor told the Earth dragon, moving to the entrance of the cave they were in and flapping his wings. "We have work to do."

Golmul blinked at Solor's actions. He remembered the Heir of Light as an arrogant, angry being, who refused to work alongside anyone. What had happened to cause this change in the Mortal World?

What happened to the Heir of Light?

XxXxXxX

The cave entrance seemed to be a bit bare, but only to the untrained eye. One look at it told the Heir of Light all that he needed to know; some of the scraping at the top of the opening were created by a dragon raising their head too high while stepping through, and the ground wasn't covered in any sand or dirt, indicating that the force of humongous, leathery wings pushed it away from the stone with air alone. No doubt about it; this was a lair.

And they were going to destroy it.

Solor turned to his soldiers, hidden under the shadow of night. He had gathered a small amount of Light dragons, five to be exact, to fight in this battle (with the Circle's blessing), and with a harsh whisper, layed out the plan. "Light clan, we will be making this as swift as possible. Golmul and his Earth brethren are waiting to tear down the cave, and will do so on my signal. We are to destroy everything we can." He turned to two older dragons, no doubt veterans of many battles. "You will attack first, distracting the guards. This should pull out their bulkiest forces, but as long as you constantly hit them with your fire and tails, you should be fine." He turned to the next two largest, probably only fighters of a few battles. "You two will be coming with me to fight inside of the cavern. Kill each and every Dark Traitor that you see; we can only afford to capture one prisoner."

"And I, Light Heir?" asked the final Light dragon, the smallest of the bunch. There was no doubt she was young, and had never fought another dragon before. Her scales were too polished, her horns had no scratches... she would be useless in a normal fight.

But for this mission, he had a job only she could do.

"I need you to sneak past the Dark Dragons when we grab their attention", he told her. "There is honor in battle, young one, but these creatures have no honor, if they're creating hybrids with stolen Light DNA. While we fight, I need you to destroy everything that looks like it might be used for these experiments. If you see any purple dragons, let out a warning, and we will join you to help exterminate them. Do NOT engage them alone."

The light dragons all nodded, understanding their roles. Solor looked back to the cave, growling low. "The First favors us this day, clansmen. Make sure we do not disappoint our Alpha."

With a roar, the attack begun.

The two larger dragons moved first, flying quickly to come to the same level as the cave, shooting two massive fireballs into the entrance. "Come out, Traitors! The Light brings judgement!" yelled one of the dragons, hoping to goad out some of the defensive force.

The three large, black dragons soaring through the smoke told them it worked.

Once the three Dark dragons managed to slip out, Solor roared again. "MOVE IT!" he commanded, rushing the entrance. The Heir of Light lead the charge, gnashing his teeth and managing to catch the fourth Dark dragon by the neck and forcing him back into the cave. He managed to throw the enemy back, looking into the cave as best as he could.

"I count four dragons, Heir!" said one of his wingmen, glaring at the dark dragons. "Think we can take them?"

Solor gave a vicious smirk. "This is no challenge at all, clansmen." He let out another roar, rushing forward again. He saw out of the corner of his eye, as he grappled with one of the Dark dragons, the smaller Light dragon sneak past, aiming to destroy whatever she could find about the Twilight dragons.

That left Solor and his two companions to fight off the Traitors themselves.

Claws and teeth melded together, scales and snarls were almost the same thing in the dark of the cave. The fight was vicious and bloody, as the dragons tore into each other. Solor was able to pin one of the Dark Dragons under his talons, and targeted the elbow of the wing, knowing exactly how much pressure to apply.

He clamped his jaws down and bit - hard.

XxXxXxX

Solor paused right then, looking at his team and blinking, as if suddenly realizing something. They all were staring at him, especially Terra and Beast Boy, in disgust. "Too graphic?" he asked.

"... yes", Terra said, looking a bit squeamish.

"I apologize", Solor said, "but this is the war that my people have been fighting for generations - several generations. The Dragons of the Circle have been fighting Dark Traitors since the dawn of humans."

"What caused this war in the first place?" Robin asked. "We might understand more if you tell us, Solor."

Solor gave a sigh, looking away. "Insanity is what caused this. And I do not mean that someone lost something important to them, and they simply snapped. It was after hundreds of years of... brain rot, for lack of a better term. Due to the long lives of dragons, our mentality can be our greatest weakness. Especially older dragons are more likely to lose their way and eventually start to make decisions we know they would never make before." He looked down, sighing. "It happened to the leader of the Dark Dragons, a being we once called friend but now call Traitor... and this war has been fought ever since."

The room was silent. They never considered the fact that a race so powerful physically and so long lived would have such a weakness. They all looked to him, seeing him a new light. "When does this... brain rot happen?" Cyborg asked.

"It begins, on average... between the ages of 1700 to 2000 years. Sometimes it takes longer, sometimes not so much time, but...", Solor told his team, his face becoming a bit crestfallen, "... it's the cause of death for many dragons."

At first, the Titans were confused why he became somber at that. Until they remembered what he had said about his mother, who passed at the age of 1700. They decided not to press it any further. "Please keep going, Solor."

The dragon nodded, and coughed a bit. "Well... the battle itself is probably not as important. But... what we discovered is."

XxXxXxX

The battle went on for a while, but soon, the Light clan emerged victorious, standing above the bodies. Unfortunately for them, the battle ended without a prisoner, as none of the Dark Clan would allow themselves to be subdued. However, that was only part of their mission; with the Dark Traitors dealt with, their only attention was to destroy any equipment used to create the Twilight.

That, however, was when everything went to Oblivion.

The small dragoness that had been tasked with destroying everything she could find was suddenly launched into one of the bigger one on his left, eliciting a cry of surprise and pain. Solor turned his head forward, scowling into the darkness.

There it was; a purple dragon around the same size as the two dragons waiting outside. Its eyes held only pure malice, and a low snarl indicated that it was definitely in attack mode. Solor snarled back, his own scales starting to glow brightly in the dark cave.

"H-Heir! Your scales-!" said one of the Light Dragons, shocked by the display of power.

"Run!" he barked back to his soldiers. "Tell Golmul to tear down the cave as soon as I escape! I'll hold it back until you are safely away!"

Once they vanished from sight, Solor turned back to the purple dragon, his eyes in a vicious glare. "I'll give you one chance, Twilight! Surrender or die!"

The purple dragon responded only by rushing, attacking the light dragon with extreme ferocity. Solor was forced to defend himself, simply by how quickly the Twilight attacked him, forcing him against a wall. However, Solor noted how sloppy their attack was; it was as if they never fought a day in their life. But it was a full grown dragon, as far as he knew; dark and light dragons were roughly the same size once they were full grown. Surely they would know how to fight at this point in life?

Solor managed to twist his head, biting down hard on his attacker's shoulder, forcing it off with a scream of pain. The Heir of Light then continued to fight back, overpowering the monster. Eventually, he began charging his attack, hitting the purple dragon with a beam of light and forcing it down. He was concerned about fighting this monster off, but... this thing went down way easier than he expected.

For a moment, the twilight dragon looked to be struggling to stand and fight. But thanks to the fierce counter Solor had fought with, it eventually laid down against the ground, breathing slowly.

"Bormah", the dragon rumbled, looking up to him. The male Twilight dragon raised a single claw toward him, gurgling as he faded. "... dreh... hi mindok... zu'u...?"

The claw fell back down to the ground, lifeless.

The sentence was confusing to Solor. Why would the monster see him as a... father? True, the creature was a mix of light and darkness, but the monster before him was older than him... right? Or at least the same age. Solo was still young, even for a full-grown dragon. Something about what the Twilight dragon said unsettled him, but he shook his head. With that fight, that was the last dragon in this cave. With a quick turn he exited the cavern, taking to the sky as he heard the stone falling behind him.

XxXxXxX

"... and that was the end of that mission", Solor concluded. "I have fought many Twilight dragons since then, all with varying skill in combat. The only thing that is consistent... is that they cry for their father as the life fades from them." He sighed gently, glad that he got that out of his system. "I've been patrolling all across America, fighting Twilight and Dark dragons ever since. I honestly wish I could've been there to fight the Brotherhood with you all, but... I was unable to do much outside of my direct orders while the Circle was watching me."

"Then how did you escape to us now?" Starfire asked. "If your leaders were watching you, then how do you know that they are not doing so this moment?"

"They are preoccupied with preparing for this raid", Solor responded. "And the other Heirs have agreed to only say that I was hunting down potential Twilight threats." He gave a sigh. "I hope you can forgive me... dragons and humans are of different morals. I know that many heroes would look down upon me for taking the lives of others of my species."

"It's a different culture", Robin said. "What is acceptable to us is often seen as not enough to your people. You have your own laws and customs; I can't really fault you for that when you try so hard to stick to ours when you pose as a human... as a hero to our people."

"And those Twilight dragons you fought are monsters - abominations created by messing with genetics", Cyborg pointed out. "There's a lot that science can do, and almost as much science should never do."

"If I condemned you for killing those Twilight dragons, then I'd be a hypocrite, considering I let you loose on Slade", Raven pointed out.

"And beside that, you are at war with these Dark Dragons", Starfire mentioned. "My people are no stranger to the things one must do to protect their home and family."

Solor gave a soft smile, grateful. "Thank you", he said. He stood tall, stretching his wings a bit. "And now that I have told you of my exploits... perhaps we can now focus on a plan to counter the Dark Raid." He turned to his leader. "Robin, you know Gotham better than anyone I know besides Batman. Could you assist me with any information you can spare?"

"I'll tell you everything I know", Robin agreed. "But there are a lot of villains in Gotham, too. Will we have to worry about the Joker or Killer Croc working for them?"

"Never. Dark Dragons are xenophobic, to put it lightly. They hate humans and mortals. They would never ask for their assistance." He motioned the leader to follow. "If you and I can come up with a counter to the initial attack and force the Dark Dragons back and allow Batman to approve it, perhaps it will show those Justice League members that my people can be trusted... and show my people that we can rely on your people to aid us. That we no longer have to hide."

The dragon gave a big smile as Robin looked at him, slowly piecing together what Solor had said. "Perhaps the time for mortals and dragons to live together peacefully is finally arriving."


End file.
